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Done sumthin' DUMB!

Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
edited November 2001 in General Discussion
I, ahh, errrr, wellllll...I did somthing really stupid recently. I went out shooting with a few friends last week and one of the gents has a brand new to him progressive reloader. Yup, you guessed it, I violated my own personal sacred rule of NEVER shooting anyone else's reloads. At any rate I watched him go through about a box of 50 or so of his "home-rolls" without a flaw and accepted his offer to put a few through my Auto-Ordinance Gov't .45 BAD IDEA.#3 round I fired was apparently loaded waaaaay past pressure limits, because it caused the barrel to swell and the slide to lock halfway out of battery. The good news is no slide swelling or frame damage and especially, no injuries.I guess my problem know is to find a replacement barrel for my .45 and not one that is gonna cost an arm and a leg. (Which is good because I've seen an accident on a range which cost a fella his arm...no joke.)
Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
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Comments

  • boiled_frogboiled_frog Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Doubtful it was an overpressure load. MORE likely he had a squib load in front of it, not a full squib, but enough to provide a minimum of pressure to cycle the action - unless you hand cycled? And the resultant round hitting the stuck round in the barrel blasted them both out. Happened to me once!I'm just guessing here, but he's using a Lee reloader, isn't he... So was I... Faulty powder dumps. And YES Richard Lee admitted that he'd had an 'engineering change' just wouldn't do anything to make it right with me.
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  • HAIRYHAIRY Member Posts: 23,606
    edited November -1
    What's a "squib" load? That's the second time I saw the word in the last 2 days. Please enlighten me.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hairy, a squib load is a very light load. As used above, one of insufficient energy to drive the projectile all the way through the barrel, leaving the obstruction. I've also seen the term used for low power target or practice loadings. Don't know the origin or the precise definition if there is one.
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  • j2k22j2k22 Member Posts: 329 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Froggy is very likely right on this; I have seen the same result ( bulged bbl, slide locked open when the bushing attempts to pass the bulge). Always a result of something obstructing the bbl. You just can't get enough powder in a .45 to create the pressure necessary to do this otherwise. The other possibility that comes to mind is a bullet that had not been sized properly. The last time I saw this condition was as a result of a .40 S & W round being included in the magazine full of .45s. When it was the 40's turn to feed, it ran forward into the barrel, and the pistol went "click" when the trigger was pulled. Shooter goes "huh?", scratches head, racks slide, pulls trigger, "BOOM!", and slide is locked over bulged bbl.
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  • j2k22j2k22 Member Posts: 329 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Saxon- I'm curious as to the particulars here; I have loaded some smoking (1100 fps+)overloads using Bullseye powder which pretty well filled the casing, and other than severe recoil and a very hot barrel, no adverse effects noticed. What type of powder and what weight of bullet was your friend using? Mind you, my hot loads were not made up intentionally, but rather as a result of a misunderstanding early in my reloading career.
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  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    Lemme interject here.....I do NOT think it was a squib load. There was no reduced recoil, no "pop" instead of a bang, and the next round cycled just fine. The recoil of the round that locked the slide out of battery DID feel like there was slightly more recoil, although that may be events influencing fact.We tore apart over 50 of these rounds and found powder (Winchester 231) as high as 1.7 Grs over max as per the Hornady specs for 230 gr lead RN.There were very few rounds that were under where the load had been set for, and none where under the load minimum.And yes, it is a Lee Progressive Reloader.
    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!![This message has been edited by Matt45 (edited 11-21-2001).]
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  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,078 ******
    edited November -1
    It does not have to be a squib load. I thought so once, but on the range one day, it happened with a .380 auto. Barrel swelled into slide, locking the slide partway open. Nothing in bore. Officer had just fired 5 rounds. No unusual reports and there were 5 holes in the target. No explanation. It was Federal ammo and Federal paid for the repairs to the gun.
    Certified SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of the General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the premier gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net Jesus is Lord!
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  • j2k22j2k22 Member Posts: 329 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Saxon- thanks for the reply. A full power load for a 230 gr. slug would be in the 7-7.5grain range using Unique. For grins & giggles, try putting such a charge in a .45 acp casing, and see how much room is left for a dangerous overcharge ( not much!)I could see it with a faster-burning powder, but Unique? Anyhoo, not to beat a dead horse. The point stands that using other people's reloads can be hazardous to the health of both the shooter and his iron. Back to the original question; was the casing from this alleged overload available for inspection? If there was a serious overpressure issue, you should find that the casing bulged out just ahead of the extraction groove, where it overhangs the unsupported part of the feed ramp.
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  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    j2k22- Nope, no casing....I was more concerned about the effect upon my pistola than what was required for a solid catastrophic discharge investigation. I didn't think about the case until after we left the area, but I did note that it did manage to eject.
    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
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  • mudgemudge Member Posts: 4,225 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Now back in the olden days, when you could buy firecrackers, any firecracker that just wentPHFFFT! instead of exploding, we called a "squib". No idea where the term originated.Now that the "do-gooders" have prevented us from buying firecrackers, some people are just gonna' have to miss that PHFFFT! Geez....I don't know how we old farts got here with all our body parts attached without the "do-gooders" there to keep us from holding a firecracker or a cherry bomb in our hand after we lit it. DUUUHH!!!Mudge the reminiscing
    I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
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  • Judge DreadJudge Dread Member Posts: 2,372 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    MMM interesting , but what is the use of having sometimes so much power and bang if you can use a 300g slug and a slower burningpowder to litteraly have a .45 sub-sonic cannon in your hands ? try it out , you willrealy enjoy putting holes in old car doorswith it ! some "Modern" HP loads don't evengo in. ! a heavier slug properly driven willwork better than any (FACTORY LOAD) and forslower burning powders the longer the barrelthe better terminal velocity you will get.(End)
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  • gruntledgruntled Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Feel safe with factory loads? Read page 19of the Dec. 2001 American Rifleman.Winchester ammunition is recalling five lots of it's Wildcat .22 Long Rifle high velosity ammunition as they may contain double charges of powder. The lot numbers are: 1RH71L, 34RA42L, 1RH81L, 2RH81L, and3RH81L.
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  • bartobarto Member Posts: 4,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    mudge-good one! i too remember the firecracker days of summer we used to break the little ladyfingers in two that had no fuse and let them fizzle between our fingers.right up intil i got one with a tiny piece of fuse still in it.lost a little thumb skin & a lot of nerve!lol
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  • sandman2234sandman2234 Member Posts: 894 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    One of my favorite shotguns is on the way back from the manufacturer, with them refusing to repair it(at their cost)because they say it was an overloaded shell. Factory ammo, and not even the "max-load" stuff, and this was out of a 2.75" shell, being shot in a gun that will handle 3.0" magnum loads with no problem. Glad that your ok. Also glad that I am ok.Guns that go boom in ways that they weren't meant to, are enought to ruin a day.
    Have Gun, will travel
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